U.s. Asked To Release Flood Control Funds

October 07, 1986|By Rob Karwath and Karen M. Thomas.

While flood weary Chicago area residents continued their cleanup efforts Monday, local officials traveled to Washington D.C., seeking the release of millions of dollars in flood control funds tied up by the federal government for more than a year.

With sunny and warmer weather forecast to make the task for drying out watersoaked homes easier, state officials were also awaiting a response from President Reagan to a request for federal disaster assistance for the flooded areas.

Gov. James R. Thompson, in a report submitted to Reagan during the weekend, requested federal disaster area designations for Lake and McHenry counties and the Cook County townships of Leyden, Lyons, Maine, Northfield, Norwood Park, Proviso, River Forest, Riverside, and Wheeling.

On Monday, Thompson also designated five more counties as state disaster areas--the first step in seeking federal disaster status for them. The five are Kane, Du Page, Tazewell, St. Clair and Adams.

Thompson`s report to the White House said almost 10,000 homes in Cook, Lake and McHenry counties were without power at some point and 2,700 were without telephone service. Approximately 15,000 persons were evacuated from their homes, according to the report, and more than 800 of them were housed in public shelters, including 300 nursing home residents.

More than 3,800 families will require temporary housing because of flood damage, the report said. More than 1,000 homes received major structural damage.

Thompson said flooded northern Illinois areas have suffered an estimated $34.6 million in property damage since the rains began on Sept. 21.

About 263 busineses and industries in the three counties have been significantly affected, he said.

The floodwaters also caused an estimated $1.75 million of damage to soybean, corn and wheat crops in the area.

The flooding forced the Des Plaines and Fox River systems to rise above previous record flood levels, the report said. At Gurnee, the Des Plaines River exceeded the previous record by 1.5 feet, and it also reached a record stage in Riverside.

State officials expect a reply from Reagan in two or three days. Federal assistance centers, planned for River Forest and Park Ridge, could be set up several days after that.

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Sanitary District officials went to Washington to seek the release of the federal flood control funds.

District President Nicholas J. Melas said the funding for the construction of five water reservoirs as part of the Lower Des Plaines Tributary Plan has been blocked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, although all necessary land acquisition and planning was completed by the district.

Melas and commissioners Aurelia Pucinski and James C. Kirie were to meet with George Dunlop of the USDA`s Soil Conservation Service and Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R., Ill.), whose west suburban district has been one of those most severely damaged by the flooding. Kirie`s suburban home is one of those inundated by water from the Des Plaines River.

As floodwaters receded in the affected areas, an appeal was issued Monday for ``desperately`` needed volunteers to help clean up the flood damaged suburb of Mt. Prospect.

Karen Giet, communications officer for the village, said Public Works Department crews were washing down streets, sidewalks and garages, but help was still needed to collect garbage, take out carpeting ``and even volunteer to babysit.``

The big job that needs the most volunteers is emptying the 170,000 sandbags of their 22,000 tons of sand, Giet said. The bags will be emptied one-third of the way into the street, and then scoops will pick up the sand.

In Gurnee, residents were just happy to get a break from the weather to begin cleanup.

``Most of the people are back in their homes,`` said Tim McGrath, director of the village`s Emergency Services Disaster Agency.